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Who Is Mary Claire King?

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Who Is Mary Claire King?
Mary Claire King The individual I have chosen for my “Scientist of the Year” report, is Mary Claire King. She was born February 27th, 1946 in Evanston, Illinois. Mary Claire King interests me because she spent her time discovering and researching the gene that causes breast and ovarian cancer. This is an important topic to me because my grandma had breast cancer when she was younger. Mary Claire King grew up in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Her family consisted of her and her brother Paul, who was a business consultant. King also had a step-brother and step-sister, who were also business consultants. Her dad worked at the Standard Oil of Indiana Managing Department. Mary Claire’s elementary school is unknown, but for high school …show more content…
Prior to the start of her career, a genetics course King took at the very beginning is what changed the course of her career. She then fell in love with mathematics and statistics to solving genetic problems. Some unusual things that had happened to King was in 1981, the week of April Fool’s Day, when her husband said he was leaving her. Once her husband left her, her house had been robbed. Not too long after, she was able to secure a grant that let her begin her project sooner. King was then able to discover the BRCA1 gene. The discovery of this gene is what helped King to become noticed in her …show more content…
One award she earned was the Lasker Award, which is awarded to a scientist that had major contributions to medical science. Another award that King earned was a Woman of the Year Award. This award is given to inspirational women spanning across many different majors. Mary Claire also earned The Weizmann Women and Science Award. This award is given to women who contribute to the community. Her next achievement was when she won the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, which is for scientists who study medicine. The final award King earned was a medal for Science of Biological Science. This medal is awarded for great research. Each of these awards was awarded by someone of importance. The Lasker Award was awarded by the Lasker Foundation. The Women of the Year Award was awarded by the Glamour Magazine. Weizman Women and Science award was given out by a women scientist, and the Ehrlich and Ludwig Damstaedter Award was handed out by the Paul Ehrlich Foundation.
Throughout Kings life, she did not have any memorials, monuments, or buildings named after her, but there was one event that made her feel appreciated for her hard work. This event was when her close friend died from cancer. With her friend dying, it helped King to discover her life and her purpose in it, making her understand how important it

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